For homeowners, this can be a very frustrating and can lead to expensive repair. The second that you notice a water leak or something that looks like water damage in your ceiling or walls, call us immediately in order to prevent the damage from becoming worse.
Signs to Watch For
Here are a few signs that you have a slow leak somewhere in your home:
- Ceiling lights short out suddenly and there is a water line leading to the light
- Your ceiling or walls start to "bubble"
- The paint color changes to a gray, black, or dark green — symbolic of mold
- Lines are running up and down your walls or ceiling
- Your floor is buckling in certain places
- Strange water stains show up on your carpet
- Your floor is squishy when you walk in certain areas of it
Common Problem Areas
When we visit your home for a leak detection, we will be thorough and try to identify the source of the leak. We typically start at where the water damage shows up and move from there. To the point, we can follow the water line and have it direct us back toward the source. However, this often will only provide us with a sense of direction, rather than the actual culprit. For that, we will need to continue our investigation and use whatever tools necessary in order to identify what is leaking water.
Naturally, there may be obvious signs near the actual leaking object. However, since most areas with plumbing tend to have several different hookups, we will have to identify the exact place of the problem. Some common problem areas are:
Dishwashers and refrigerators
Many homeowners choose to install appliances on their own, successfully completing the installation a handful of times. While some people may know what they are doing, some products are much more complex to install than they seem.
Leaks can slowly develop without you ever realizing it. A connection that is slightly too loose can lead to a slow leak that is not immediately obvious but will do damage to your home over time. This is one of the first areas we will check when trying to find the sources of a leak.
Sinks
Kitchen and bathroom sinks may be the source of the leak. Since water would be dripping into a cabinet under the sink, you may never realize that there is a problem unless you go digging for something you have stored there.
Tubs and showers
Showers and tubs can also be sources of leaks, and very often, the leak takes place behind where you can see. If you have a fiberglass or shower tub, the pipes will be completely hidden from your view. They can still cause leaks, but the water will be dripping through your walls, so you will never actually see that there is a problem. For this, we often need to open the walls to determine how severe the leak is and then correct it.
Drains
If your drain is not properly sealed, there may be some leakage. This is the easiest problem to fix, and we will let you know if that is the culprit during a leak detection appointment.
Call for Help
We are here to assist you, so call today for any of your leak detection and repair needs.